LEBB High School students perform during Aavishkar, the talent hunt organised by the state art and culture department at the state museum in Ranchi on Thursday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Four hundred and fifty students from around the state took part in a talent search contest that got underway in Ranchi on Thursday.

The four-day affair, aptly titled Aavishkar, began at the state museum in Hotwar with some of the participating girls and boys showcasing their skills in classical and semi-classical dance forms. While they took the stage, others used their innovative thinking to show how one could bring down man-animal conflict, generate electricity and tackle water problems.

Organised by the state art and culture department, the aim of the competition is to identify the best talents in both schools and colleges over the next four days. On December 2, those adjudged the best talents/brains will be awarded by the department.

As chief guest on the occasion, secretary of the state art and culture department Ajoy Kumar Singh said, “This is one of the most important events, as it involves young budding talent who have come forward by participating in various competitions.”

Of the participants, 300 are students from 35 schools and 150 are college students from five institutions in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad.

In the classical and semi classical dance competition, there were 400 participants who impressed the judges with their style and poise as they kathak, Odishi and Bharatnatyam. “All the participants tried their best to bring out their dancing skills keeping intact the Indian dance style,” said coordinator Vipul Nayak.

A few like eighth grader Shruti Kumari of DAV Public School, Hehal looked elated to be part of this competition. “I have been passionate about dancing since I was three years old,” said the Bharatnatyam performer.

In the science exhibition, as many as 50 students from both schools and colleges through their exhibits tried to provide solutions to different problems.

“Our state is facing a problem with marauding elephants as many human lives are lost due to their frequent visits to villages. Our students have tried to chalk out remedies by showcasing electrical fencing, watch towers and also awareness generation programme to stop the menace,” said one of the judges Tapas Bose.

Bose said others had tried to showcase self-sufficient cities through their exhibits with stress on conservation of water, electricity and resources. Curator of the state museum Md Sarfruddin said the students apart from showcasing their talents also visited the museum and displayed interest in the artefacts on display.